Pittsburgh buses are gross. Not only because some of the riders are disrespectful and careless, but also because PAT apparently doesn’t do their fair share to keep them clean.

Taking the bus sucks. When your product sucks, your company fails. So it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that PAT needed to cut routes earlier this year. But instead of spending money on tracking their passengers, they should consider hiring a cleaning crew.

The $32 million project is designed to improve collections and provide valuable new data about ridership…

It was a brilliant move to “test” the smart card implementation on Pitt students and staff. They ride the bus for free, so there’s not much for them to argue or think about.

Hmm, let’s try to be logical here. They bought a $32,000,000 tracking system. But 6 months ago they couldn’t afford to maintain all the bus routes.

Update:

Wait a minute. Other news sources have written that Pitt students get unlimited free rides on PAT buses. That is completely false. There is a transportation fee of $90/semester built into the tuition at Pitt. How else would the University be able to pay the Port Authority $6.8 million for the service?

I hate how the news reports quote people saying it will make getting on the bus faster. Nothing is faster than flashing your i.d.

http://portauthority.org Jim (@pghtransit)

Boring Pittsburgh: It’s likely the seat cushion was not installed properly – it’s not broken. Many of these older buses either are in the process of being rehabbed (like new), or replaced with new vehicles (thanks to capital grants) this fall and again in 2012. The overall age of our fleet will greatly improve – as will issues like the one you featured. This includes about 60 new “articulated” buses (the longer buses) that will add capacity to many routes experiencing crowding issues. This should help, especially since we had to reduce service in March due to a state funding cut.

BridgeXer

The buses in Pittsburgh are far dirtier than those of any other city I’ve been to, and I’ve been to many. Dirt and germs are generally invisible, but when it is caked on and easy to see like on PAT buses, it is a bad sign.

junglistgirl77

The public transit system in Pittsburgh is abysmal. I have lived in more than ten U.S. cities and I have never seen such a shoddy system. Cut service when buses are often overcrowded while implementing new fare boxes?? That makes zero sense. I think it is great that so many people in Pittsburgh choose to utilize public transit instead of driving; why does the PAT insist upon making it difficult and unpleasant to do so? I have seen a few trashed seats like the one pictured above, but could live with that if I could find a seat on a bus occasionally, instead of finding myself crammed in with the other 300 people who are also trying to make it to their jobs on time. PAT should spend its money more wisely: run more buses on more routes, and streamline the system so that the buses are actually ON TIME. The new and “improved” fare boxes do nothing to speed up payment and entry/exit times when there are too many people on the bus.

By BPGH Staff

Pittsburgh Kickstarter

Have you launched a project on Kickstarter? Are you looking to spread the word? Click here to tell us about it.

Pittsburgh is so boring! Or is it? We are here to serve the city and bring out the best in the Burgh. At BPGH you can find reviews, events, community forums, even the local weather. It is a place for you to meet other Pittsburghers and share your thoughts about everything from your favorite restaurants to the Steelers. Whether you were born and raised or just stopping by, there is something for you at BoringPittsburgh.com.

Most Popular Today

We have an amazing summer planned and we hope you will be a part of it. Join x5tennis.com this season for our popular summer camp and tennis academy programs. Learn to Play tennis or refine your skills. We have Adult lessons for every type of player.